Stars roster loaded with talent begins prospect tournament Thursday

With a few days of practice under their belts, a group of young Dallas Stars players will finally get a chance to see a team in a different jersey Thursday on the first day of the NHL Prospects Tournament in Traverse City, Michigan. The games against prospects from other teams has been a September tradition for the Stars, and this year will be even more important as a group of players who had to fight through the pandemic last season will come together and battle for both team and individual glory.

"We've got some players who haven't played hockey, or have played very little hockey, so just getting them back on the ice and getting them together, it's a great reset for everybody," said Stars general manager Jim Nill. "This is an opportunity for everyone to get to know each other, and a great opportunity for the players to show what they can do."
The Texas Stars have restructured their coaching staff and will run the Dallas entry, so that's a big part of the week. In addition, players who will be trying to take the next step in their path toward the NHL will combine with players who were drafted this past summer in a process that can be both chaotic and educational.
Texas Stars head coach Neil Graham is at the helm, and this will be his sixth appearance as a head coach or assistant in Traverse City. He said he loves the energy of the tournament and loves what it does for his players.
"It's an enjoyable one, getting to see these guys in live action," Graham said of the fact many players are meeting for the first time. "We've seen a lot of footage on them, we've watched tape from their prior year. It's good to see them now after a good summer of training and try to piece it all together."
Graham said having three days of practice in Frisco over the weekend was huge because past tournaments have been tossed together more quickly. Because the pandemic caused all sorts of changes to the schedule, development camp from the summer was shortened and pushed to September as a sort of training camp for Traverse City. It should be a good thing.
"Normally, you show up to Traverse City and you have one practice and then you get into it, so to have four practices prior to Game 1, we can tinker a little," Graham said. "It's a combination of development camp and training camp. We have to make sure guys are getting touches and given an opportunity."
The Stars have a talented roster. Leading the way will be Ty Dellandrea, Riley Damiani and Thomas Harley, who each gained experience in the AHL last season. Also on the roster are a mix of veterans such as Riley Tufte, Tye Felhaber, Dawson Barteaux and Ryan Shea, as well as recent draft picks like Wyatt Johnston, Mavrik Bourque, Logan Stankoven and Artem Grushnikov. Because of the mix of talent level, there could be some scrambly play early on.
"There's going to be more structure because of the practices, but they're still young players so you want to let them go," Graham said. "You want them to play fast, you want them to play aggressive. There are going to be mistakes all over the ice, so make them aggressively, cover for each other. And if you make one or two mistakes, try not to make three. But have fun in the process. There are going to be growing pains, but it's a great chance to learn and develop.
Nill said he's seen teams really come together in the four-game tournament.
"The players are so ready to go, and the competition level is so good," said Nill, who helped start the tournament when he worked in the Red Wings organization. "It's zero to 100 miles per hour. It's so fast, so intense, and then it settles in a little bit. For this time of year, it's as good of hockey as you're going to see played."
The Stars will start the tournament against Detroit on Thursday, then follow against Columbus on Friday, Toronto on Sunday, and St. Louis on Monday. Then it's back to Frisco for NHL training camp. With each step in the process, the Stars just want to see their players develop.
"You want to see progress," said Rich Peverley, the team's director of player personnel. "You want to see how the three Swedes (Oskar Back, Jacob Peterson and Fredrik Karlstrom) play in the smaller rink, you want to see how Stankoven transfers over to playing against men. I think it's going to be great to get them up there and see them play against other teams. We all look on the sheet and think we have the best prospects, but Detroit is going to think the same thing, Columbus is going to think the same thing, St. Louis is going to think the same thing. So I think it's good to get a measuring stick for those kids to see where they're at."
The full 2021 NHL Prospect Tournament schedule is below (all times Central). Games will be streamed live on DetroitRedWings.com.
Thursday, Sept. 16
2 p.m. Columbus vs. Toronto
6 p.m. Detroit vs. Dallas
Friday, Sept. 17
2 p.m. St. Louis vs. Toronto
6 p.m. Dallas vs. Columbus
Saturday, Sept. 18
6 p.m. St. Louis vs. Detroit
Sunday, Sept. 19
1 p.m. Toronto vs. Dallas
5 p.m. Columbus vs. Detroit
Monday, Sept. 20
11 a.m. Dallas vs. St. Louis
12 p.m. Toronto vs. Columbus
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This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
Mike Heikais a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on Twitter @MikeHeika, and listen to his podcast.